500 criminal cases against MPs, MLAs shifted to spl court

ALLAHABAD The Allahabad high court on Monday said more than 500 criminal cases pending against elected representatives of the state had been transferred to a special court (MPs/MLAs) for speedy disposal after a Supreme Court order in December 2017 relating to the same.

A two-judge bench, comprising chief justice DB Bhosale and justice Yashwant Varma, said the remaining of the estimated 800-900 pending criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, would be transferred to the special court within 15 days.

The bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition, filed by Suraj Kumar Yadav of Jaunpur, seeking speedy disposal of criminal cases against BJP MLA from Gosainganj Indra Pratap Tiwari alias Khaboo, against whom various criminal cases are pending in various courts of Uttar Pradesh.

The high court said that to ensure compliance of the Supreme Court order for speedy disposal of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, a special court had already been set up and various directions had been issued for the administration of the court.

Additional district and sessions judge, Allahabad, Pawan Kumar Tiwari was appointed as presiding officer of the special court (MPs/ MLAs), Allahabad, which was set up on August 21.

All district and session judges of UP were directed to transfer pending criminal cases against elected MPs/MLAs to the special court.

The high court directed the petitioner’s counsel to make the court’s registrar general party to the case and asked the state government and the registrar general to apprise it of the progress in the issue on the next date of hearing after two weeks.

On December 14, 2017, the Supreme Court had ordered setting up of special courts in the country for cases against elected representatives. The order was passed while hearing a PIL petition filed by Delhi BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, seeking a lifelong ban on convicted politicians from contesting elections.

The court had directed the central government to come up with a scheme to set up 12 special courts to try criminal cases pending against MPs and MLAs across the country.

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THE REMAINING 800900 CASES AGAINST MPS AND MLAS, WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO THE SPECIAL COURT WITHIN 15 DAYS